Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams has crazy efficiency in 2018

Los Angeles Chargers sophomore receiver Mike Williams is having a breakout sophomore season, and he hasn’t needed many touches to do it.

There are always high expectations for top 10 draft picks in the NFL, and in recent years, many have been quick to write off players who were not great their first season in the NFL.

Unless a player misses an entire rookie season due to injury or is in a situation of having to sit behind the starting quarterback or something like that, instant stardom is almost the expectation anymore for these top 10 players, and perhaps to a degree, that’s justified.

Why take a player in the top 10 of the NFL Draft if you didn’t feel like they could have an instant impact on your team?

For the Chargers, the risk of Mike Williams’ medical history at Clemson was worth the possible reward of what he could become as he grew at the next level.

Williams suffered a very scary neck fracture in 2015 at Clemson, raising doubts about his playing career moving forward. He battled back, played in 2016 for Clemson, and impressed the Chargers’ scouting department enough that they chose him seventh overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Williams’ rookie season was plagued by injury and he was limited to 10 games (one start) and just 23 targets in those 10 games.

He caught just 11 passes for 95 yards, averaging less than nine yards per reception and many were ready to write him off after a disappointing rookie season.

He set a career mark with 81 yards in his first game of the 2018 season, and has really taken flight throughout the course of the season as one of the most efficient playmakers in the league.

Here are some numbers to back that up.

On the surface, Williams’ 37 receptions for 592 yards this season don’t look all that impressive, even considering the fact that he’s averaging 16 yards per catch.

That number puts him among the league leaders in the yards per catch category, but where Williams has been really impressive is scoring the football.

He has 42 total touches this season (37 receptions, 5 carries) and on those touches, he’s averaging 14.9 yards per touch. He has racked up 10 touchdowns among those touches (nine receiving, one rushing) and added a game-winning two-point conversion against the Chiefs, pushing the Chargers that much closer to the number one overall seed in the AFC playoff race.

Williams’ three-touchdown game against the Chiefs, capped off with the two-point score to end the game was really his breakout on a national stage, but he’s been effective making plays for the Chargers all season, even if he’s not putting up insane numbers.

Those will come with time, but for now, Williams is building his confidence by helping the Chargers convert scoring opportunities, and he’s doing it at one of the most efficient clips in the league.